World news in brief, 6/19

SAO PAULO — Protest leaders called for another huge demonstration in Brazil's largest city Tuesday, building on historic turnouts spawned by widespread frustration over decades of government red tape, high prices and shoddy services even as the nation's economic fortunes have risen.

With Sao Paulo girding for another march, the mobilizations have shown a rare spotlight on the growing discontent among the country's booming middle class that public infrastructure and quality of government haven't kept up with economic gains.

The protests started with a group incensed about a 10-cent hike in subway and bus fares, the Free Fare Movement, which is mostly composed of students.

Italy

Top court faults Knox acquittal

ROME — Italy's high court on Tuesday harshly faulted the appeals court that acquitted American student Amanda Knox of murdering her roommate, saying its ruling was full of "deficiencies, contradictions and illogical" conclusions. It ordered a new appeals court to consider all the evidence to determine whether Knox helped kill the young woman.

In March, the Court of Cassation overturned Knox's acquittal in the 2007 murder of British flatmate Meredith Kercher, 21, and ordered a new trial. On Tuesday, the high court issued its written reasoning for doing so.

The 74-page document picked apart the 2011 appeals court decision and at one point, the high court said the appeals sentence "openly collides with objective facts of the case."

Russia

Lavrov: Iran ready to stop enrichment

MOSCOW — Russia's foreign minister says Iran is willing to halt its 20-percent enrichment of uranium, which has been a key concession sought in international negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

That is the highest level of enrichment acknowledged by Iran and one that experts say could be turned into warhead grade in a matter of months.

In an interview with the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA that was released by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, Sergey Lavrov said that "for the first time in many years" there are encouraging signs in international efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute.

Israel

General talks would ward off unrest

JERUSALEM — Failure to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations could stir unrest in the West Bank, Israel's top army commander in the territory warned Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, who commands the Israeli military in the West Bank, said Tuesday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts helped calm the situation in the West Bank.

Kerry has visited the region four times since taking office in February to try to revive negotiations on the terms of Palestinian statehood that broke off in 2008.